Sensor package structure

ABSTRACT

A sensor package structure includes a substrate, a sensor chip and a ring-shaped solder mask frame those are disposed on the substrate, a ring-shaped support disposed on a top side of the annular solder mask frame, and a light permeable member that is disposed on the ring-shaped support. The sensor chip is electrically coupled to the substrate. A top surface of the sensor chip has a sensing region, and the sensing region is spaced apart from an outer lateral side of the sensor chip by a distance less than 300 µm. The ring-shaped solder mask frame surrounds and contacts the outer lateral side of the sensor chip. The light permeable member, the ring-shaped support, and the sensor chip jointly define an enclosed space.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of priority to Taiwan PatentApplication No. 109110135, filed on Mar. 26, 2020. The entire content ofthe above identified application is incorporated herein by reference.

The present application is a divisional application of Co-PendingApplication Ser. No. 16/920,492, filed on Jul. 3, 2020 and entitled“SENSOR PACKAGE STRUCTURE,” now abandoned. Moreover, this divisionalapplication rejoins claims based on Subspecies of FIG. 1 , according tothe Restriction Requirement dated Mar. 9, 2022, augmented with newclaims supported by original specification.

Some references, which may include patents, patent applications andvarious publications, may be cited and discussed in the description ofthis disclosure. The citation and/or discussion of such references isprovided merely to clarify the description of the present disclosure andis not an admission that any such reference is “prior art” to thedisclosure described herein. All references cited and discussed in thisspecification are incorporated herein by reference in their entiretiesand to the same extent as if each reference was individuallyincorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates to a package structure, and moreparticularly to a sensor package structure.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

A conventional sensor package structure includes a substrate, a sensorchip disposed on the substrate, and a package body that surrounds and isconnected to a peripheral side of the sensor chip. As the size of thesensor chip becomes smaller, a sensing region of the sensor chip shallbe more closer to lateral sides of the sensor chip, and therefore thesensing region is more easily contaminated by the melted or fluidpackage body (or a sealing gel) during the manufacturing process of theconventional package structure, affecting the production yield orcausing product failure.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

In response to the above-referenced technical inadequacies, the presentdisclosure provides a sensor package structure to effectively improve onthe issues associated with conventional sensor package structures.

In one aspect, the present disclosure provides a sensor packagestructure, which includes a substrate, a sensor chip, a ring-shapedsolder mask frame, a ring-shaped support, and a light permeable member.The substrate has a first board surface and a second board surface thatis opposite to the first board surface. The sensor chip is disposed onthe first board surface and is electrically coupled to the substrate. Atop surface of the sensor chip includes a sensing region, and thesensing region is spaced apart from an outer lateral side of the sensorchip by a distance less than 300 µm. The ring-shaped solder mask frameis disposed on the first board surface of the substrate. The ring-shapedsolder mask frame surrounds and contacts the outer lateral side of thesensor chip. The ring-shaped support is disposed on a top side of thering-shaped solder mask frame. The light permeable member has a firstsurface and a second surface that is opposite to the first surface andthat is disposed on the ring-shaped support. The second surface of thelight permeable member, the ring-shaped support, and the sensor chipjointly define an enclosed space.

In one aspect, the present disclosure provides a sensor packagestructure, which includes a substrate, a sensor chip, a ring-shapedsolder mask frame, and a light permeable member. The substrate has afirst board surface and a second board surface that is opposite to thefirst board surface. The sensor chip is disposed on the first boardsurface and is electrically coupled to the substrate. A top surface ofthe sensor chip includes a sensing region, and the sensing region isspaced apart from an outer lateral side of the sensor chip by a distanceless than 300 µm. The ring-shaped solder mask frame is disposed on thefirst board surface of the substrate. The ring-shaped solder mask framesurrounds and is spaced apart from the outer lateral side of the sensorchip. The light permeable member has a first surface and a secondsurface that is opposite to the first surface and that is disposed onthe ring-shaped solder mask frame. The second surface of the lightpermeable member, the ring-shaped solder mask frame, and the sensor chipjointly define an enclosed space.

In summary, the sensor package structure of the present disclosure isprovided with the ring-shaped solder mask frame that surrounds the outerlateral side of the sensor chip. Since the thickness and the shape ofthe ring-shaped solder mask frame can be effectively and preciselycontrolled for accommodating the sensor chip or other components, thesensing region of the sensor chip is prevented from being contaminatedby the ring-shaped solder mask frame, which will further effectivelyincrease yield rate and throughput of manufacturing of the sensorpackage structure.

These and other aspects of the present disclosure will become apparentfrom the following description of the embodiment taken in conjunctionwith the following drawings and their captions, although variations andmodifications therein may be affected without departing from the spiritand scope of the novel concepts of the disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure will become more fully understood from thefollowing detailed description and accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a sensor package structure accordingto a first embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a sensor package structure accordingto a second embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a sensor package structure accordingto a third embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the sensor package structure inanother configuration according to the third embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a sensor package structure accordingto a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the sensor package structure inanother configuration according to the fourth embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the sensor package structure instill another configuration according to the fourth embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing the sensor package structure infurther another configuration according to the fourth embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS [First Embodiment]

Referring to FIG. 1 , a first embodiment of the present disclosureprovides a sensor package structure 100. The sensor package structure100 includes a substrate 1, a sensor chip 2 disposed on the substrate 1through a plurality of solder balls 6, a ring-shaped solder mask frame 3disposed on the substrate 1, a ring-shaped support 4 disposed on thering-shaped solder mask frame 3, and a light permeable member 5 that isdisposed on the ring-shaped support 4. Herein, the sensor packagestructure 100 in the present embodiment is illustrated as including theabove components, but the sensor package structure 100 can be modifiedaccording to design requirements.

It should be noted that in order to conveniently describe the sensorpackage structure 100 of the present embodiment, FIG. 1 is plotted as across-sectional view. It could be understood that some portions of thesensor package structure 100 not shown in FIG. 1 shall havecorresponding structures. For example, FIG. 1 shows only four of thesolder balls 6, but portions of the sensor package structure 100 notshown in FIG. 1 include other solder balls 6. The following paragraphsrespectively recite the structure and interconnection of each componentof the sensor package structure 100.

The substrate 1 in the present embodiment is in a rectangular shape, butthe present disclosure is not limited thereto. The substrate 1 has afirst board surface 11 and a second board surface 12 that is opposite tothe first board surface 11. The substrate 1 has a chip bonding region111 and a ring-shaped carrying region 112. The chip bonding region 111is substantially arranged at the center of the first board surface 11,and the ring-shaped carrying region 112 is arranged on the first boardsurface 11 and outside of the chip bonding region 111 (or the sensorchip 2). In addition, the substrate 1 in the present embodiment can beprovided with a plurality of soldering balls (not shown) disposed on thesecond board surface 12, and the sensor package structure 100 can besoldered onto an electronic component (not shown) through the solderingballs, thereby electrically coupling the sensor package structure 100 tothe electronic component.

The sensor chip 2 in the present embodiment is an image sensor chip, butthe present disclosure is not limited thereto. An outer surface of thesensor chip 2 includes a top surface 21, a bottom surface 22 opposite tothe top surface 21, and an outer lateral side 23 that is connected to aperipheral edge of the top surface 21 and a peripheral edge of thebottom surface 22. The top surface 21 of the sensor chip 2 has a sensingregion 211 substantially on a center portion thereof. The sensor chip 2includes a plurality of internal contacts 221 arranged on the bottomsurface 22. The sensing region 211 is spaced apart from the outerlateral side 23 of the sensor chip 2 by a distance Dmin which is lessthan 300 µm. The sensor chip 2 further includes a plurality ofconducting paths 24 extending from the top surface 21 to the bottomsurface 22. The conducting paths 24 are respectively connected to theinternal contacts 221 and are electrically coupled to the sensing region211.

Moreover, the sensor chip 2 is disposed on the first board surface 11 ofthe substrate 1, and is electrically coupled to the substrate 1. In thepresent embodiment, the bottom surface 22 of the sensor chip 2 ismounted to the chip-bonding region 111 of the substrate 1 through thesolder balls 6 so as to be electrically coupled to the substrate 1. Inother words, the internal contacts 221 of the sensor chip 2 are solderedonto the first board surface 11 of the substrate 1 through the solderballs 6.

The ring-shaped solder mask frame 3 is disposed on the carrying region112 of the first board surface 11 of the substrate 1, the ring-shapedsolder mask frame 3 surrounds and connects the outer lateral side 23 ofthe sensor chip 2. A top side 31 of the ring-shaped solder mask frame 3is coplanar with the top surface 21 of the sensor chip 2, and an outerlateral side 32 of the ring-shaped solder mask frame 3 is flush with anouter lateral side of the substrate 1. In other words, the outer lateralside 23 of the sensor chip 2 in the present embodiment is entirelyconnected to the inner lateral side 33 of the ring-shaped solder maskframe 3, and the sensor chip 2 is embraced in the ring-shaped soldermask frame 3.

It is noted that the ring-shaped solder mask frame 3 can be formed in apunching manner, a photolithography manner, a printing manner, or acoating manner, the thickness and the shape of the ring-shaped soldermask frame 3 can be effectively and precisely controlled foraccommodating the sensor chip 2 or other components. Accordingly, thesensing region 211 of the sensor chip 2 is prevented from beingcontaminated by the ring-shaped solder mask frame 3, thereby effectivelyfurther increasing yield rate and throughput of manufacturing of thesensor package structure 100.

The ring-shaped support 4 is disposed on the top side 31 of thering-shaped solder mask frame 3, and the ring-shaped support 4 isarranged outside of the sensing region 211 and is not in contact withthe top surface 21 of the sensor chip 2. In the present embodiment, thering-shaped support 4 may be formed with glue or an adhesive, and thering-shaped support 4 is disposed substantially on a center portion ofthe top side 31 of the ring-shaped solder mask frame 3, but the presentdisclosure is not limited thereto. For example, in other embodiments notshown in the present disclosure, the ring-shaped support 4 can bedisposed on the entirety of the top side 31 of the ring-shaped soldermask frame 3.

The light permeable member 5 includes a first surface 51, a secondsurface 52 that is opposite to the first surface 51, and an outerlateral surface 53 that is connected to a peripheral edge of the firstsurface 51 and a peripheral edge of the second surface 52. Herein, thesecond surface 52 of the light permeable member 5 is disposed on thering-shaped support 4 (i.e., the ring-shaped support 4 is sandwichedbetween the top side 31 of the ring-shaped solder mask frame 3 and thesecond surface 52 of the light permeable member 5), so that the secondsurface 52 of the light permeable member 5, the ring-shaped support 4,and the sensor chip 2 jointly define an enclosed space E.

In the present embodiment, along a horizontal direction shown in FIG. 1, an outer diameter of the light permeable member 5 is equal to that ofthe ring-shaped solder mask frame 3. In other words, the outer lateralsurface 53 of the light permeable member 5 is coplanar with the outerlateral side 32 of the ring-shaped solder mask frame 3. Moreover, theouter diameter of the light permeable member 5 is slightly greater thanthat of the ring-shaped support 4, so that the top side 31 of thering-shaped solder mask frame 3, an outer lateral side of thering-shaped support 4, and the light permeable member 5 jointly define aring-shaped slot S.

[Second Embodiment]

Referring to FIG. 2 , a second embodiment of the present disclosure isdisclosed therein. The second embodiment is similar to the firstembodiment, so descriptions for identical portions between the twoembodiments shall not be repeated again, and the differences between thetwo embodiments shall be recited in the following.

In the present embodiment, the sensor package structure 100 includes asubstrate 1, a sensor chip 2 disposed on the substrate 1, a ring-shapedsolder mask frame 3 disposed on the substrate 1, a ring-shaped support 4disposed on both the ring-shaped solder mask frame 3 and the sensor chip2, a light permeable member 5 disposed on the ring-shaped support 4, aplurality of metal wires 7 electrically coupled to the substrate 1 andthe sensor chip 2, and a package body 8 that is formed on the substrate1.

The substrate 1 includes a plurality of first pads 113 arranged on thefirst board surface 11. The first pads 113 are located outside of thecarrying region 112, and the first pads 113 of the present embodimentare arranged substantially in a ring-shape, but the present disclosureis not limited thereto. For example, in other embodiments not shown inthe present disclosure, the first pads 113 can be arranged in two rowsrespectively located at two opposite sides of the chip-bonding region111.

The sensor chip 2 includes a plurality of second pads 212 arranged onthe top surface 21 and outside of the sensing region 211. The quantityand the positions of the second pads 212 of the sensor chip 2 in thepresent embodiment respectively correspond to those of the first pads113 of the substrate 1. Moreover, terminals at one end of the metalwires 7 are respectively connected to the first pads 113, and terminalsat the other end of the metal wires 7 are respectively connected to thesecond pads 212, so that the substrate 1 can be electrically coupled tothe sensor chip 2 through the metal wires 7. In addition, thering-shaped solder mask frame 3 is not in contact with any of the firstpads 113.

The ring-shaped support 4 is dispensed on both the top side 31 of thering-shaped solder mask frame 3 and the top surface 21 of the sensorchip 2, and the ring-shaped support 4 is arranged outside of the sensingregion 211. In the present embodiment, the ring-shaped support 4 may beformed with glue or an adhesive, and a part of each of the metal wires 7and the corresponding second pad 212 are embedded in the ring-shapedsupport 4.

The package body 8 is formed on the first board surface 11 of thesubstrate 1, and another part of each of the metal wires 7, which isexposed from the ring-shaped support 4, and the corresponding first pad113 are embedded in the package body 8. An outer lateral side 81 of thepackage body 8 is coplanar with the outer lateral side of the substrate1, and is also coplanar with the outer lateral surface 53 of the lightpermeable member 5. In other words, the sensor chip 2, the ring-shapedsolder mask frame 3, and the ring-shaped support 4 are embedded in thepackage body 8, and the slot S is fully filled with the package body 8.

[Third Embodiment]

Referring to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 , a third embodiment of the presentdisclosure is similar to the first and second embodiments of the presentdisclosure, so descriptions for identical portions among the embodimentswill be not repeated again, and the differences between the first andsecond embodiments shall be recited in the following.

In the present embodiment, the ring-shaped solder mask frame 3 isdisposed on the carrying region 112 of the first board surface 11 of thesubstrate 1. The ring-shaped solder mask frame 3 surrounds and is spacedapart from the outer lateral side 23 of the sensor chip 2. In otherwords, the sensor chip 2 and the metal wires 7 are arranged in a spaceenclosed by the ring-shaped solder mask frame 3. Moreover, thering-shaped solder mask frame 3 in the present embodiment is integrallyformed as a one-piece structure. The outer lateral side 32 of thering-shaped solder mask frame 3 is coplanar with the outer lateral sideof the substrate 1, and the inner lateral side 33 of the ring-shapedsolder mask frame 3 is in a step shape and has a step surface 331.

The second surface 52 of the light permeable member 5 is disposed on theinner lateral side 33 of the ring-shaped solder mask frame 3, and thelight permeable member 5 in the present embodiment is disposed on thestep surface 331 of the ring-shaped solder mask frame 3. Moreover, thesecond surface 52 of the light permeable member 5, the ring-shapedsolder mask frame 3, and the sensor chip 2 jointly define an enclosedspace E. The first surface 51 of the light permeable member 5 iscoplanar with the top side 31 of the ring-shaped solder mask frame 3,but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

In another configuration as shown in FIG. 4 , the sensor packagestructure 100 can further include a package body 8 formed on the topside 31 of the ring-shaped solder mask frame 3. Moreover, the packagebody 8 covers and is connected to the outer lateral surface 53 of thelight permeable member 5, the outer lateral side 81 of the package body8 is coplanar with the outer lateral side 32 of the ring-shaped soldermask frame 3, and the top side of the package body 8 is coplanar withthe first surface 51 of the light permeable member 5.

[Fourth Embodiment]

Referring to FIG. 5 to FIG. 8 , a fourth embodiment of the presentdisclosure is similar to the third embodiment of the present disclosure.So, descriptions for identical portions between the third and fourthembodiments of the present disclosure (e.g., the substrate 1, the sensorchip 2, and the light permeable member 5) will be repeated again, andthe differences between the third embodiment and the fourth embodimentshall be recited in the following.

As shown in FIG. 5 , the ring-shaped solder mask frame 3 in the presentembodiment includes a plurality of solder mask layers 30 stacked andadhered together. Inner lateral sides of the solder mask layers 30 arenot coplanar with each other. In other words, the inner lateral side 33of the ring-shaped solder mask frame 3 is in a step shape and has aplurality of step surfaces 331. Moreover, outer lateral sides of thesolder mask layers 30 are coplanar with each other, but the presentdisclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the arrangement of thesolder mask layers 30 can be those as shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 , theouter lateral sides of the solder mask layers 30 are not coplanar witheach other.

In addition, the second surface 52 of the light permeable member 5 isdisposed on the top side 31 of the ring-shaped solder mask frame 3 (orthe solder mask layers 30). The package body 8 is formed on the firstboard surface 11 of the substrate 1. Further, package body 8 covers andcontacts the outer lateral sides of the solder mask layers 30 and atleast part of the outer lateral surface 53 of the light permeable member5, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, asshown in FIG. 8 , the light permeable member 5 can be disposed adjacentto the inner lateral side of one of the solder mask layers 30 of thering-shaped solder mask frame 3 (e.g., the step surface 331 close to thetop side 31 of the ring-shaped solder mask frame 3).

In conclusion, the sensor package structure of the present disclosure isprovided with the ring-shaped solder mask frame that surrounds the outerlateral side of the sensor chip. Since the thickness and the shape ofthe ring-shaped solder mask frame can be effectively and preciselycontrolled for accommodating the sensor chip or other components, thesensing region of the sensor chip is prevented from being contaminatedby the ring-shaped solder mask frame, therefore effectively increasingyield rate and throughput of the manufacturing of the sensor packagestructure.

Specifically, the ring-shaped solder mask frame of the presentdisclosure can be integrally formed as a one-piece structure or caninclude a plurality of solder mask layers that are stacked and adheredtogether, so that the ring-shaped solder mask frame can fit multipledesign requirements, and promoting of the sensor package structuredistinct from conventional can be facilitated.

The foregoing description of the exemplary embodiments of the disclosurehas been presented only for the purposes of illustration and descriptionand is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure to theprecise forms disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possiblein light of the above teaching.

The embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain theprinciples of the disclosure and their practical application so as toenable others skilled in the art to utilize the disclosure and variousembodiments and with various modifications as are suited to theparticular use contemplated. Alternative embodiments will becomeapparent to those skilled in the art to which the present disclosurepertains without departing from its spirit and scope.

What is claimed is:
 1. A sensor package structure, comprising: asubstrate having a first board surface and a second board surface thatis opposite to the first board surface; a sensor chip disposed on thefirst board surface and electrically coupled to the substrate, wherein atop surface of the sensor chip includes a sensing region, and thesensing region is spaced apart from an outer lateral side of the sensorchip by a distance less than 300 µm, and wherein the sensor chipincludes a plurality of internal contacts arranged on a bottom surfacethereof and a plurality of conducting paths that extend from the topsurface to the bottom surface, the conducting paths are respectivelyconnected to the internal contacts and are electrically coupled to thesensing region, and the internal contacts are soldered onto the firstboard surface of the substrate; a ring-shaped solder mask frame disposedon the first board surface of the substrate, wherein the ring-shapedsolder mask frame surrounds and contacts the outer lateral side of thesensor chip; a ring-shaped support disposed on a top side of thering-shaped solder mask frame; and a light permeable member having afirst surface and a second surface that is opposite to the first surfaceand that is disposed on the ring-shaped support, wherein the secondsurface of the light permeable member, the ring-shaped support, and thesensor chip jointly define an enclosed space.
 2. The sensor packagestructure according to claim 1, wherein the top side of the ring-shapedsolder mask frame is coplanar with the top surface of the sensor chip,and the ring-shaped support is arranged outside of the sensing regionand is not in contact with the top surface of the sensor chip.
 3. Thesensor package structure according to claim 2, wherein an outer lateralside of the ring-shaped solder mask frame is flush with an outer lateralside of the substrate.
 4. The sensor package structure according toclaim 3, wherein the light permeable member has an outer lateral surfaceconnected to a peripheral edge of the first surface and a peripheraledge of the second surface, and the outer lateral surface of the lightpermeable member is coplanar with the outer lateral side of thering-shaped solder mask frame.
 5. The sensor package structure accordingto claim 1, wherein the top side of the ring-shaped solder mask frame,an outer lateral side of the ring-shaped support, and the second surfaceof the light permeable member jointly define a ring-shaped slot.
 6. Thesensor package structure according to claim 5, wherein the ring-shapedsupport is disposed substantially on a center portion of the top side ofthe ring-shaped solder mask frame.
 7. The sensor package structureaccording to claim 5, wherein the light permeable member has an outerlateral surface connected to a peripheral edge of the first surface anda peripheral edge of the second surface, and the outer lateral surfaceof the light permeable member is coplanar with the outer lateral side ofthe ring-shaped solder mask frame that is flush with an outer lateralside of the substrate.
 8. The sensor package structure according toclaim 1, wherein the outer lateral side of the sensor chip is entirelyconnected to an inner lateral side of the ring-shaped solder mask frame,and the sensor chip is embraced in the ring-shaped solder mask frame. 9.The sensor package structure according to claim 1, wherein thering-shaped solder mask frame is integrally formed as a one-piecestructure.
 10. The sensor package structure according to claim 1,further comprising a plurality solder balls, wherein the internalcontacts of the sensor chip are soldered onto the first board surface ofthe substrate through the solder balls.
 11. The sensor package structureaccording to claim 10, wherein the conducting paths are embedded in thesensor chip, the sensor chip and the solder balls are embraced in thering-shaped solder mask frame, the top side of the ring-shaped soldermask frame is coplanar with the top surface of the sensor chip, and thering-shaped support is arranged outside of the sensing region and is notin contact with the top surface of the sensor chip.
 12. The sensorpackage structure according to claim 11, wherein the ring-shaped soldermask frame is gaplessly connected to an entirety of the outer lateralside of the sensor chip.
 13. The sensor package structure according toclaim 11, wherein the ring-shaped support is disposed substantially on acenter portion of the top side of the ring-shaped solder mask frame. 14.The sensor package structure according to claim 13, wherein the top sideof the ring-shaped solder mask frame has an outer portion arrangedoutside of the center portion, and wherein the outer portion of the topside of the ring-shaped solder mask frame, an outer lateral side of thering-shaped support, and the second surface of the light permeablemember jointly define a ring-shaped slot.
 15. The sensor packagestructure according to claim 13, wherein the top side of the ring-shapedsolder mask frame has an outer portion arranged inside of the centerportion and arranged in the enclosed space.